Display container



Oct. 10, 1933. E, H, BALL DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed NOV. 11, 193]. 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 w m j y M AW? (iffy/2263A;

Oct. 10, 1933. E, H. BALL 1,930,300

DISPLAY CONTAINER Filed Ngv. 11, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fawn/0r ia zward 17 501/ y M m Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES DISPLAY CONTAINER Edward H. Ball, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Belting Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware l Application November 11, 1931. Serial No. 574,382

12 Claims. (Cl. 206-65) My invention relates to an improvement in displaying or dispensing packages andto a methd of forming such packages, .or of packing the articles to be displayed or dispensed. One object istheprovision of such a package which shall be quicklyand easily made. provision of a package which shall display the articles to be dispensed and shall permit the inspection of the articles from the exterior of the package. Another object is the provision of a package which shall be adapted for the display and the dispensing of articles which,may .be removed one or more at a time from the package while leaving the package intact and permitting the user or purchaser to determine, without opening the package, how many articles remain withr in the package. Another object is the provision of an improved method for packing articles. Other objects will .appearfrom time to .time in the course of the specification and claims. 7

.1 illustrate my invention more orless diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, where- Figure .1 is a side elevationof a package;

Figure v2 is -a longitudinal section through the package of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section similar to Figure 2 through a variant form of package;

Figure 5 is a section on the line.55 of Figure 4; I

Figure 6 is a perspective 'view of a third form of package; 3 Figure 7 is a longitudinal axial section of .a

package shown in Figure 6; I

Figure 8 is a section on the line 88 of Figure *1 and Figure 9 is a perspective view of a device adapted for'the employment in forming the packages 7 herein illustrated. Y

Like parts are indicated by like 4 symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring to the figures, A generallyindicates the articles nested in the package, each such member A including, for example, an annular flat flange A and a cylindrical annulus A formed integrally therewith with a beveled edgeA A indicates a central or axial aperture in the ring 5 ,-A It will be understood that whereas I have shown a specific type of article adapted to be :nested in the packages .herein shown, I do not wish to be limited to the employment of my package or method with any particulanarticle.

: It is desirable, but notnecessary, that the articles Another object is the V nested within the package.

packed may be formed to nest or inter-penetrate in order to add to the lateral or transverse stability of the package, and a nesting relationship is shown in the sectional views of Figures 2, 4 and 7. B indicates a wrapping, herein shown as transparent, which may be in the form of a sheet or single layer wrapped about the nested articles. The edges maybe lapped together, as at B in Figure 3, to form a locking seam adapted to permit a measure of expansion or contraction, or the edges may be merely lapped one over another, as at B in Figure 5. In either case the ends of the cylndrical closures so formed are inturned as at B to penetrate in the top and bottom of the 7 tube or cylinder formed by the nested articles. Preferably the portions B are thrust sufficiently tightly into the ends of the package so vformed to have a locking effect, not only upon the overlapping edges B or B but upon the articles '(5 In effect they are locked together as a unit, and unless the user actually withdraws the ends B the package will remain tight. The covering B is preferably transparent. This is desirable, not only to permit the display of the goods, which may be' of sightly appearance or of some characteristic distinguishing color, but it is also advantageous to permit the user, after the withdrawal of one or more of the articles, to be able to tell how many of the articles remain in the package.

I have illustrated in Figure 2 a package in .which the'nesting of-the articles, in connection with the looking or securing effect of the inturned ends of the cover B, is sufiicient to hold the package compact. Where packages are likely to'be exposed to rough usage, or where articles of larger size are packed, or where the articles do not readily nest, I find it desirable to employ an inner guiding .or positioning means or reinforcemerit. Imay employ, for example, a cylindrical tube C as shown in Figures 7 and 8. Or, I may employ an overlapped or rolled sheet as at C in Figure 5, one edge of which may overlie the other as at C If relatively flexible but springiermaterial is'used, such as a suitable stiff paper or V fibre, a sheet of the right length may be rolled into the form in which it is shown in Figure 5 to a diameterv somewhat smaller than the diameter of the apertures in the articles A. It may be I05 then inserted through said central apertures and" released. The spring or expansion of the material will then cause .it to take the position in which it is shown in section in Figure 5. Such a cylinder has an advantage over the cylinder .0

, as follows:

sirable to employ some sealing or protecting 1 means. I may, for example, employ. discs or.

seals D as shown at the opposite ends of the package in Figure 4. They may be pasted or otherwise secured to the ends of the package, and serve not only to close the ends of the package, but to hold the in turned portions 13 from escape and to hold the cover B tightly folded in place.

If greater protection or rigidity is required,

particularly as when the packages arelikely to be relatively roughly handled, I may employ closure caps E as shown in Figures 6 and 7. These may .be frictionally fitted to the ends of the package, 'or they may be glued orcemented in place.

In order to mark the package or the goods I may employ any suitable label G. Such a label may be applied to the exterior of the cover B, or it may be positioned therewithin. It will also .be understood that the cover 3 itself may be provided with any suitable markings formed in or applied to thesubstance thereof.

It will be realized scribed and shown a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in size, shape, number and disposition of parts and in the materials employed, without departing from the spirit of my invention. I wish my description and drawings, therefore, to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative, rather than as limiting me to the particular showing or description herein. I

The use and operation of my invention are I have illustrated my invention in connection with leather pump packings, an article which may be dispensed in a hollow tube or cylindrical container. When so dispensed they are invisible to the prospective purchaser. Many articles, for example such as pump packings, are staples which are not ordinarily featured or positioned in a prominent position ma store. The unsightly fibre tube or container'is commonly put on a shelf and it is only whena user actually'asks for a pump packing that the salesman looks on the shelf for a package, finds the cylinder and shakes a packing out of it. He cannot tell from the exterior of .thecylinder how many packings 'there are in, a given package without removing them from the package and counting them. The present package is advantageous to the salesman and alluring to'the purchaser. I may, for

example, color the articles dispensed with a charf acteristic .and striking color or design. This design is visible through the transparent covering B and calls to the prospective purchasers attention the nature of the goods. For example, in a general store a farmer seeing such a container on the counter is reminded of 'a present or prospective need for one or more pump packings and makes. a purchase. ,The salesman," when asked for a pump packing, can instantly see whether or not a given package contains a pump packing and how many packings remain in the package. It has been my experience that the employment of a package made in accordance with the drawings "and description herein substantially increases the 1 sale of the articles dispensed.

Any suitable substance may be employed for separated that whereas I have dethe covering B, such as cellophane, oiled paper or the like. The covering may be entirely transparent or substantially transparent, or transparent only in part. The essential is that some or all of its area may be sufficiently transparent to permit an observer'to see what articles are within the package and how many.

In the preparation of the package, I may employ a rolling device or base illustrated as J in Figure 9 and including flat top portions J by a depression J semi-cylindrical in contour. As an example of a method for forming the package in question, I may lay a sheet of the covering B on the tops J a portion of it penetrating the aperture J Before or after positioning the sheet in place, I may stack or align a series of p the articles to be packed. I may employ the aperture J to stack or align them. I may then insert in the aperture one of the cylinders C or C if a cylinder is to be used. Then the sheet B is wrapped about the package, the edges being lapped as at B or B The ends are then turned in as at B Thereafter, if a sealing member is to be employed, I may-apply the seals D or the caps E at one or both ends of the package. 1

The label G may be applied'before or after the application of the cover B, depending upon whether it is to be positioned interially or 'exteriorly of the cover. The packages so formed are sightly and convenient to handle, are easily assembled or packed and are tight and will stand rough handling. 7

I claim:

1. A packageincluding a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures, and a wrapper, at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends of said wrapper 'being' inturned into the apertures of the articles situated at the ends of the package so formed.

2. A package including a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures, and a'wrapper, at least in part transparent, rolled about saidarticles, the ends of said wrapper belng inturned into the apertures of the articles situated at the ends or" the package so formed, the opposed edges of the wrapper being folded in inter-locking relationship.

3. Apackage including'a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures,-

and a wrapper; at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends of said wrapper'being inturned into the apertures of the articles situated at the ends of the package so formed, and

additional means for preventing the escape of the wrapper ends.

4. 'A package including a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures,

and a wrapper, at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends" of said wrapper being inturned into the aperturesof the articles situated at the ends of the package so formed, and additional means for preventing the escape of the wrapper ends, including esals applied to'the package ends.

5, A package including a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures,

and a wrapper,'at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends of said wrapper being inturned into the-apertures of the articles situated at the' ends of the package so formed, and additional means for preventing the escape of the wrapper ends,- including caps applied to and surrounding the package ends;

' 6. A package including a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures, and a wrapper, at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends of said wrapper be: ing inturned into the apertures of the articles situated at the ends of the package so formed, and an aligning tube positioned within the package and extending through the apertures of the articles therewithin.

7. A package including a plurality of nested articles, such articles having central apertures, and a wrapper, at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends of said wrapper being inturned into the apertures of the articles situated at the ends of the package so formed, and an aligning tube positioned within the package and extending through the apertures of the articles therewithin, said tube being formed of a sheet of yieldable material having overlapping edges. 1

8. A package including an internal aligning member, a plurality of apertured interpenetrata ing articles threaded upon said member, the length of the member being substantially the same as the total length of the articles aligned thereupon, and a wrapper surrounding said articles, said wrapper being at least in part transparent, and means for holding said wrapper in position about said articles.

9. A package including an internal aligning member, a plurality of apertured interpenetrat- 11. The method of packaging apertured articles which includes threading upon an inner aligning means a sufiicient number of said members to provide a stack of members equivalent in length to the length of said inner aligning means,

thereafter positioning said stack upon a sheet of flexible transparent material, rolling said sheet about the stack with edges of said sheet over-- lapping, turning in the ends of the rolled sheet within the apertures at the ends of the stack of articles, and applying sealing means to the ends of the package. I

12. A package which includes a plurality of nested interpenetrating articles, each such article having a central aperture, and a wrapper, at least in part transparent, rolled about said articles, the ends of said wrapper being inturned into the apertures of the articles situated at the ends of the package so formed, the wrapper being sufiiciently tightly applied to prevent'longitudinal relative movement of the nestedfarticles and to prevent lateral displacement of adjacent articles in relation to each other, and means for maintaining the wrapper tight enough to hold the articles in position.

EDWARD H. BALL. 

